Sweeping Changes

No green home is complete without the traditional good-luck gift, a broom, for new homeowners. Although more cleanup jobs are handed over to the vacuum cleaner these days, the broom still earns its keep for sweeping up. A broom comes in handy when the power is out, or when you simply find the meditative motion of sweeping relaxing.

The no-plug broom is by its very nature a green cleaning tool. That brooms are traditionally made of natural and abundant material such as straw - from sorghum and often referred to as broomcorn - and wooden handles adds to their sustainable allure.

Many brooms found in hardware and big box stores are plastic-based, with nylon brush and plastic or metal handles, but plenty of the traditional models are available. In fact, Home Depot has committed to using wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (meaning that the wood was sustainably harvested from a properly managed forest) down to and including broom handles.

Don't use a broom to sweep a hardwood floor. The brush, whether natural-material or nylon, can scratch the surface. You're better off using the vacuum or dust mop to round up dust bunnies.

Nylon brooms or other lightweight smoother finished brooms are best for inside use, such as tile floors. Straw brooms, however, work fine indoors, too. And the rougher texture of the brush is especially effective on uneven surfaces, such as outdoor brick patios. The unevenness of the straw gets into the cracks and crevices between the bricks. Shake brooms outside to clean them.

Close Brushes with Green Cleaning

When you remove the harsh chemical agents from your cleaning arsenal, you're compelled to use a little more elbow grease to get some surfaces and furnishings as clean as the chemicals do. The tough scrubbing power of brushes can up your cleaning power, using agents as mild as plain water.

A good stiff scrub brush can tackle scuffed kitchen floors, mildewed tile grout, grease-coated ovens, and brick or stone floors and surfaces. You can also use it for sweeping (a push-broom is, in essence, a scrub brush with a handle). You can use soft-bristled brushes for picking up dust and cleaning delicate objects and surfaces.

Every green home should have the following brushes in the utility closet or appropriate spot in the house:

• Stiff-bristled scrub brush for scouring and scrubbing tough surfaces and tougher dirt - both indoor and outdoor scrub brushes

• Soft-bristled brush for cleaning fragile furnishings and for dusting and polishing

• Toilet brush

• Vegetable brush, for cleaning food

• Bottlebrush for thoroughly cleaning long, narrow-necked containers from baby bottles to flower vases and reaching into garbage disposals, drains, and even dryer vents

Before buying a custom-use brush for small jobs, tap your medicine chest and bathroom toiletry cabinet first. Toothbrushes are great for getting into the tiny crevices of blenders or taking lint off hair-dryer vents. Old makeup brushes are soft and gentle for dusting the curves and hard-to-reach spots on antique furniture.

Not Your Mother's Mop

Unless you're partial to housemaid's knee, floor mops and dusters are a must-have. Most floor mops have a sponge on the end that has a scraper edge to get up crusted-on food or dirt. They pair nicely with a bucket of soapy water. Dust mops, on the other hand, are based on a fringy head or microfiber cloth to pick up dry dust and loose particles.

Mops both wet and dry have evolved, overcoming some objections to their performance.  ....read more